The Daily Tar Heel
Printing news. Raising hell. Since 1893.
Friday, March 29, 2024 Newsletters Latest print issue

We keep you informed.

Help us keep going. Donate Today.
The Daily Tar Heel

Donald Trump makes campaign stop in Greensboro

Donald Trump has faced a good deal of controversy from both his partisan opposition and his self-proclaimed ideological peers over the course of his presidential campaign.

So when the Republican presidential nominee’s rally in Greensboro Tuesday was interrupted by fifty protesters who entered the arena and immediately began chanting “deport hatred; never Trump”, it came as a surprise to no one. Rather, it was a moment that most inside had anticipated, smartphones at the ready to capture this now all-too-common sight at Trump events.

“Sometimes, Trump just says things that get under people’s skin. He has a lot of great ideas that could really help move the country forward, if he could only learn to stop with the hateful rhetoric,” said Karen Bartley, a retiree from Asheville, “the protests you see are just natural reactions to these types of things he says.”

Bartley is a registered Democrat, yet plans on voting for Trump in November. She said the top policy issues that drew her to Trump, factors that she suspects are drawing millions of voters to the Republican nominee, were national security, job growth and bringing transparency back to the political system.

Despite the “never Trump” protestors, as well as the seven other groups that were escorted out by security during the course of the rally, Mr. Trump used his time on stage to lay out his platform, highlighting issues like the ones Bartley describes.

“We’re losing, folks. We’re losing in trade, we’re losing in negotiations with countries that sponsor terrorism, we’re losing in business,” said Trump, “and the reason that we’re losing is we send these political hacks to negotiate for us. Meanwhile, China, Iran, all these other countries are sending their best and brightest to negotiate for them.”

Trump also took aim at his presumed Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, calling her weak and suggesting that he is a truer feminist than is Mrs. Clinton because she has taken political contributions from nations like Saudi Arabia which actively discriminate against women. Trump also said it is because of politicians like Clinton who are afraid to take a more conservative stance on immigration that the United States witnesses tragedies like the recent shooting in an Orlando nightclub.

“The children of Muslim immigrants are responsible for an increasing number of deadly attacks on Americans,” said Trump, “That’s a fact. These immigrants have hostile attributes. Just look at what this savage did in Orlando. And that could have been stopped if politicians like Crooked Hillary weren’t afraid to stop them from coming in the first place.”

According to Rick Jennings, a furniture salesman and lifetime GOP voter from Thomasville, a big part of Trump’s appeal is that he is not a career politician like Clinton and as a result he is willing to take stances that many people support, but most public figures aren’t willing to endorse.

“Hillary and people like her are old news. They’re not bad people. They just aren’t trustworthy,” Jennings said.

They say one thing and do another. Mr. Trump tells it like it is. He doesn’t care what the media or anyone else has to say about it.”

Trump also suggested throughout the night that he is a stronger advocate for LGBT rights than is Clinton.

“Crooked Hillary wants LGBT votes, so she acts all nice and pretends to be a friend to LGBT people. Let me ask you a question — How can she be a friend of LGBT people when she supports and takes money from governments of countries where being gay is illegal? I will not only be a stronger ally for LGBT people than Hillary, I’ll be the best ally for LGBT people there is,” said Trump.

Many prominent figures in North Carolina politics were present at Tuesday’s rally, including UNC Board of Governors member Marty Kotis, as well as Mike Hager, the Republican majority leader in the N.C. House, who delivered an introductory speech to begin the event. Former NASCAR legend and North Carolina native Richard Petty also took to the stage to endorse Trump.

“North Carolina is ready for Trump,” said Brandy Marston, a retiree from Lexington, “Our economy needs a kickstart and he’s the man for the job. I was really happy to hear him praise Pat (McCrory), and I think we’d be much better off if we could start electing people who think like Trump does.”

To close his speech, Trump expressed confidence that he would win North Carolina in November.

“When we started the primaries, I was up against 16, 17 guys and they said there was no way we would win North Carolina. But we did,” Trump said, “Greensboro is a perfect example of why. You walk around and there’s empty factories and empty warehouses — we need to bring the jobs back, folks...We’re going to win this state in the general, and we’re going to win it big.”

state@dailytarheel.com

To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.